Obama Betrays Britain over Falklands, Tilts Toward Argentina
This is an act of diplomatic stupidity so extreme that it is only explainable either by utter incompetence, or deliberate treason.
From "Obama has made me want to boycott America," by Alex Singleton, in the Telegraph:
First, Obama declared that America was “neutral” over the sovereignty of the Falklands, ignoring the clear wishes of the islands’ population. And, second, his Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Crowley, snubbed Britain by failing to use their proper name and instead calling them the “Malvinas”.
Ok. Let's put this in context.
The Falkland Islands were originally Spanish. During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain took them from Spain. Later on, Argentina revolted against Spain and declared its independence. The islands had various claimants until the British made their claim stick in the mid 19th century. The islands have been British for about the last century and a half -- in other words, the British claim to the Falklands is at least as good as our claim to California. What's more, the Argentine claim is not as good as the Mexican claim to California, because at least Mexico ruled California for a good long time, while Argentina only ruled the Falklands for a few months in 1982.
There are five basic reasons why we should support the British over the Argentine claim to the Falklands.
First, Britain's claim is better under international law. The territory was taken from Spain during a recognized state of war, and Britain never agreed to return it. Should Britain decide to return it, they would logically be returning it to Spain, NOT Argentina, as Argentina never controlled the island save for those few months in 1982. We should support the better claim, because the alternative would set a precedent that would encourage irredentist wars all over the world.
Second, Britain is our long-time ally: she has been our ally de jure for most of the last century, and de facto from 1917 on without interruption. She has fought two World Wars and the Cold War on our side. Alienating an ally over something like this, especially when the ally has the better claim in international law, is just plain stupid.
Third, the people of the Falkland Islands want to be under British rule. They explicitly do not want to be under Argentine rule. Thus, the principle that a territory should be governed according to the will of the majority of inhabitants is in favor of having the Falklands remain British.
Fourth, Britain is a liberal parliamentary democracy, and has been so (for various values of "liberal parliamentary democracy") for centuries (certainly since the mid-19th century Reform Acts). Argentina, by contrast, has frequently veered into dictatorship -- in at least two cases, bloodthirsty Fascist dictatorship. (It was under Galtieri's sanguine rule that Argentina screamed and leapt on Britain in 1982: his subsequent defeat was the proximate cause of his fall from power). We should support liberal democracies against dictatorships in general; and although Argentina is now a democracy, the country's history gives us little reason to hope that it shall remain such.
Fifth and finally, the Falkland Islands, far from being a territory important only to sheep, actually have a highly strategic location. A naval force based in the Falklands can commnand the passage round the southern tip of South America, as was demonstrated in the 1914 Battle of the Falklands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Falkland_Islands), and this is all the more true now that navies operate jet aircraft and 300-mile radius airborne radars. A highly-strategic position should be held by a reliable ally, not a mercurial sometimes-fascist semi-ally.
But the American people chose to elect an idiot who seems hell bent on insulting their allies, and something must be done to stop Obama’s reckless foreign policy, before he does the dirty on his allies on every issue.
If our American friends want to stop Obama shredding the respect the rest of the planet has towards America, they need to stop Obama’s destructive policies - and fast.
Exactly.
I remember when people accused George W. Bush of losing the respect of America's allies. How different it is, now, when we have a President who is really doing that of which Bush was merely accused!
From "Obama has made me want to boycott America," by Alex Singleton, in the Telegraph:
First, Obama declared that America was “neutral” over the sovereignty of the Falklands, ignoring the clear wishes of the islands’ population. And, second, his Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Crowley, snubbed Britain by failing to use their proper name and instead calling them the “Malvinas”.
Ok. Let's put this in context.
The Falkland Islands were originally Spanish. During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain took them from Spain. Later on, Argentina revolted against Spain and declared its independence. The islands had various claimants until the British made their claim stick in the mid 19th century. The islands have been British for about the last century and a half -- in other words, the British claim to the Falklands is at least as good as our claim to California. What's more, the Argentine claim is not as good as the Mexican claim to California, because at least Mexico ruled California for a good long time, while Argentina only ruled the Falklands for a few months in 1982.
There are five basic reasons why we should support the British over the Argentine claim to the Falklands.
First, Britain's claim is better under international law. The territory was taken from Spain during a recognized state of war, and Britain never agreed to return it. Should Britain decide to return it, they would logically be returning it to Spain, NOT Argentina, as Argentina never controlled the island save for those few months in 1982. We should support the better claim, because the alternative would set a precedent that would encourage irredentist wars all over the world.
Second, Britain is our long-time ally: she has been our ally de jure for most of the last century, and de facto from 1917 on without interruption. She has fought two World Wars and the Cold War on our side. Alienating an ally over something like this, especially when the ally has the better claim in international law, is just plain stupid.
Third, the people of the Falkland Islands want to be under British rule. They explicitly do not want to be under Argentine rule. Thus, the principle that a territory should be governed according to the will of the majority of inhabitants is in favor of having the Falklands remain British.
Fourth, Britain is a liberal parliamentary democracy, and has been so (for various values of "liberal parliamentary democracy") for centuries (certainly since the mid-19th century Reform Acts). Argentina, by contrast, has frequently veered into dictatorship -- in at least two cases, bloodthirsty Fascist dictatorship. (It was under Galtieri's sanguine rule that Argentina screamed and leapt on Britain in 1982: his subsequent defeat was the proximate cause of his fall from power). We should support liberal democracies against dictatorships in general; and although Argentina is now a democracy, the country's history gives us little reason to hope that it shall remain such.
Fifth and finally, the Falkland Islands, far from being a territory important only to sheep, actually have a highly strategic location. A naval force based in the Falklands can commnand the passage round the southern tip of South America, as was demonstrated in the 1914 Battle of the Falklands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Falkland_Islands), and this is all the more true now that navies operate jet aircraft and 300-mile radius airborne radars. A highly-strategic position should be held by a reliable ally, not a mercurial sometimes-fascist semi-ally.
But the American people chose to elect an idiot who seems hell bent on insulting their allies, and something must be done to stop Obama’s reckless foreign policy, before he does the dirty on his allies on every issue.
If our American friends want to stop Obama shredding the respect the rest of the planet has towards America, they need to stop Obama’s destructive policies - and fast.
Exactly.
I remember when people accused George W. Bush of losing the respect of America's allies. How different it is, now, when we have a President who is really doing that of which Bush was merely accused!